Shoulder Pain: Physiotherapy at Home in Wiltshire

Shoulder pain can make the simplest things hard: getting dressed, reaching a shelf, brushing your hair or getting a good night's sleep. It is very common, especially from middle age onwards, and most shoulder problems get better with the right exercise and advice.

Common causes

• Rotator cuff problems – the most common cause. The muscles and tendons that control the shoulder become sore and weak, often with pain when lifting the arm out to the side or above the head.
• Frozen shoulder – the shoulder becomes painful and then very stiff, so you cannot move it far in any direction. It usually gets better on its own, but it can take a long time, often a year or more.
• Arthritis in the shoulder joint, which is more common as we get older.
• After a fall or a broken arm, when the shoulder has stiffened up.
• Pain coming from the neck, which can be felt in the shoulder and down the arm.

Things you can do now

• Keep it moving gently. Resting it completely tends to make it stiffer. Move within a range that is comfortable.
• Change how you do things for a while, such as keeping things you use every day on lower shelves.
• Sleep with support. A pillow under the sore arm, or hugging a pillow if you lie on the other side, can help.
• Ice or warmth for short spells, whichever feels better.
• Painkillers, if your GP or pharmacist says they are suitable, so you can keep moving.

How physiotherapy helps

The physiotherapist first works out what is causing the pain, by asking about how it started and testing how the shoulder moves and how strong it is. Treatment then usually includes:

• Exercises to build strength and control in the muscles around the shoulder, started gently and made harder over time
• Stretches to get the movement back, especially for a stiff shoulder
• Hands-on treatment to ease pain and stiffness
• Advice on posture, work, sleep and everyday tasks

Exercise is the main treatment for most shoulder problems, and it works best when it is done regularly over several weeks. If the pain is not improving, your GP may talk to you about an injection or a referral.

When to see a doctor quickly

• Call 999 if shoulder pain comes with chest pain, breathlessness or sweating, as it can be a sign of a heart problem.
• See your GP or go to A&E if you cannot lift your arm at all after a fall, the shoulder looks out of shape, or the joint is hot and swollen and you feel unwell.
• See your GP if you have shoulder pain with unexplained weight loss, or pain that is worse at night and not easing.

Why a home visit

A painful shoulder can make driving hard, and for older people especially, getting to a clinic can be a struggle. At home, Rits can see how you manage everyday tasks and fit the exercises around your own routine. Alongside her neurological work, she has worked as a Band 7 musculoskeletal physiotherapist in the NHS, so shoulder, back, neck and joint problems are familiar ground.

Home visits across Wiltshire

Physiotherapy for shoulder pain is available at home across Swindon, Salisbury, Chippenham, Trowbridge, Devizes, Marlborough and across Wiltshire. You can read more about muscle and joint treatment in Chippenham and in Trowbridge.

About Rits Rana

Rits Rana is a chartered physiotherapist (HCPC PH106489, MCSP 119421) providing home visit physiotherapy across Swindon, Salisbury, Chippenham, Trowbridge, Devizes, Marlborough and across Wiltshire, and runs an independent mobile practice, Mobile Rehab. Her specialist ground is complex neurological rehabilitation: stroke, brain injury, Parkinson's, MS and motor neurone disease. Alongside that she works with older adults on strength, balance and falls, and treats muscle and joint problems at NHS Band 7 level. She assesses and diagnoses directly, so there is no wait for a GP referral before treatment can start.

Read Rits's profile or call 07818 106406.

Please mention Mobile Physiotherapist.co.uk when you call.